The Putting Challenge

[JB]

Last week we had a fun signup looking for testers to take the Putting Challenge. This involved getting a Lean Lock Putter as well as changing their putting style by following the instruction.

Testers were announced and this is the thread we will use to track their testing.

If anybody else is playing a Lean Lock Putter and wants to join the discussion, we welcome it of course.

 

[Templet0n]

Cool. This is such a different method. I am not sure I could do it, but I feel like my putting is one of my biggest weaknesses. So, curious to see how people do and how the adoption goes.

 

[Daluteh]

Different style, but fun to watch people try something new. I hope they all get some improvement and that allows it to reach a wider audience.

 

[War Eagle]

Stoke to see the testers lean in to this putting method and see how the results work for them. In my limited time working with this style, I could tell it would take a committment to the process to really get it to work.

Should be some awesome content coming from the testers, excited to see it.

 

[1860VS]

I haven't even gotten the putter, book etc. But watching the couple of videos I have so far been sent passwords on the Lean Lock website has already improved my putting with my current putters. Still a long ways to go,but this has me excited to try the complete program.

 

[Mmaynard11]

Will be interesting to see thoughts from those selected for testing. It is a style that for me I’m not sure I could get used to.

 

[Scooby45]

I haven't even gotten the putter, book etc. But watching the couple of videos I have so far been sent passwords on the Lean Lock website has already improved my putting with my current putters. Still a long ways to go,but this has me excited to try the complete program.

What in the videos is already starting to resonate?

 

[1860VS]

What in the videos is already starting to resonate?

Finding the proper ball position.
Remembering to have an ascending stroke so the ball doesn't skid when struck.

 

[MWard]

Will be interesting to see thoughts from those selected for testing. It is a style that for me I’m not sure I could get used to.

It takes a little bit of getting used to. The forward press of that much is a bit of an adjustment, as is how fast the ball comes off

 

[1860VS]

I just got home from a 5 hour sim session, or Id be running out to the sim. LOL
The putter arrived. I haven't even read the book yet, but just taking what I learned from the videos I am in shock. I was always a center shaft face balanced straight back and through kind of putter. With this putter in hand, if looked really awkward. Until I did some berber test putts...it is amazing how stable, and straight back and through the putter head is with this equipment and technique.. And it quickly felt natural. If it wasn't raining I'd run up the street and hit the putting green. I am really stoked now......this looks and feels so weird at first, and feels so right for me after just a little playing with it. Not so sure the plumbers neck is what I need, but only more study and real life testing will tell. I have a 60x30 artificial indoor putting green 8 miles away, I might hit it after the Lions game.

 

[hadi05]

This will be a fun one!

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

Excited to have been selected to test this fascinating method! I'm gonna lead this off with a quick overview of my putting game, then will get into my just beginning indoctrination into the Lean Lock method.

Putting has never been a strength of mine, particularly short putting. My stats below compared to a 10 cap (which is essentially where I'm currently sitting) show that I am a weak putter by nearly a stroke by comparison. Clearly in order to improve it's a key focus area for me.

10 cap:


Again, compared to a 10 cap, you can see on average I have nearly a putt and a half more per round, and I 3-putt about 3 holes more often than my theoretical peer.



Specifically, as you can see, the shorter and especially mid range putts plague me. The Lean Lock method really intrigues me as a way to strike putts pure and on line, because that I believe is where I really have problems on those ranges.



Overall, there's lots of room for improvement here, and I felt like I didn't have much to lose by trying this method. Really hoping it yields some improvement through this process!

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

As @1860VS said, we got a really long, detailed intro email from Mr Brian Tennyson, none other than the FOUNDER of the freaking company (!!), with a ton of initial tips and comments about the method. It was really cool to see the level of involvement he has in every golfer that buys his product. He even advises you - really IMPLORES you - to send him videos of your putting to get direct feedback on your Lean Lock technique as you learn it. You won't see that from pretty much any other company out there, and it really tells me he believes in this method and this product.

We also have received videos to watch every other day or so (I just watched the 4th one) which focus on a different fundamental of putting. Some of it does touch on the Lean Lock way of doing things specifically, but a lot of it is honestly super important and valuable regardless of the putting style - and he says as much in the videos. I've already been thinking about a ton of things I never was before in my putting and it had me itching to give the putter a roll though it hadn't arrived yet.

Speaking of which - the putter and the book arrived yesterday and are pictured below. I went with the PN mallet model in 42" based on the size chart on the website. The putter is a quality piece of kit based on the build quality I see, though I have not yet rolled with it, as I'm taking Mr Tennyson's advice of reading the book before picking up the putter and forming any bad habits. Plan on taking my first rolls with it tomorrow.

 

[golfs_happy]

Excited to follow along. I have read a lot on LEAN LOCK and while I don't think it is for me I found the method fascinating. Best of luck to all! Will enjoy following your progress and ups and downs with it all!

 

[Slowmo]

Let me start this by saying that I am a terrible putter. It is by far the worst part of my game. @Hawk got to see this first hand at the Srixon experience and tagged me in the sign up thread. I am open to try anything that will help me make some putts.

That said, let’s take a look at some putting data.
All data is compared to a 10 cap, I am currently at 9.9 so we are pretty much comparing apples to apples here. As you can see I am clearly giving away a lot of shots on the greens.


A 3 putt every 5.4 holes is just bad any way you slice it.



Almost 35 putts a round when I have a positive strokes gained short game compared to a 5 and only lose 0.05 strokes to a scratch in short game really kills my scores.
Here is the big kicker…you might want to hide your eyes, the next picture is pretty graphic.

Yes you are reading that right. Anything outside 3 foot and I’m awful. It is deflating to hit a beautiful chip over a bunker to a short sided pin to about 4-5 ft and then miss that putt 75% of the time.

Before I received the email from Bryan at Leanlock I had already watched most of the videos on the main website that discussed mostly how to use the lean lock putter itself. How to align, how to grip it, feet and eye placement etc. He has since been sending a video every other day or so that are just basics of putting. I’m a little behind watching those because they are blocked at work so I need to catch up a bit.

The putter arrived today! So of course the first thing I do is run into where I have my putting mat and roll some 5 ft putts. Wow this feels VERY different. Once I got comfortable with the grip and stance and such it really started feeling like I was rolling the ball well. It is going to take a lot of practice to get comfortable. I will do my best after every round to post stats and update you all.

 

[TJRyska]

Let me start this by saying that I am a terrible putter. It is by far the worst part of my game. @Hawk got to see this first hand at the Srixon experience and tagged me in the sign up thread. I am open to try anything that will help me make some putts.

That said, let’s take a look at some putting data. View attachment 9226681
All data is compared to a 10 cap, I am currently at 9.9 so we are pretty much comparing apples to apples here. As you can see I am clearly giving away a lot of shots on the greens.
View attachment 9226682

A 3 putt every 5.4 holes is just bad any way you slice it.

View attachment 9226683

Almost 35 putts a round when I have a positive strokes gained short game compared to a 5 and only lose 0.05 strokes to a scratch in short game really kills my scores.
Here is the big kicker…you might want to hide your eyes, the next picture is pretty graphic.
View attachment 9226685
Yes you are reading that right. Anything outside 3 foot and I’m awful. It is deflating to hit a beautiful chip over a bunker to a short sided pin to about 4-5 ft and then miss that putt 75% of the time.

Before I received the email from Bryan at Leanlock I had already watched most of the videos on the main website that discussed mostly how to use the lean lock putter itself. How to align, how to grip it, feet and eye placement etc. He has since been sending a video every other day or so that are just basics of putting. I’m a little behind watching those because they are blocked at work so I need to catch up a bit.

The putter arrived today! So of course the first thing I do is run into where I have my putting mat and roll some 5 ft putts. Wow this feels VERY different. Once I got comfortable with the grip and stance and such it really started feeling like I was rolling the ball well. It is going to take a lot of practice to get comfortable. I will do my best after every round to post stats and update you all.

Excited to follow along. It didn't take long for me to feel comfortable using it. Seemed like it would, but it became natural pretty quickly.

 

[War Eagle]

Some great opening stuff, fellas. I am really looking forward to seeing how this works out for you all.

It takes a lot to sit back, analyze your game, and get to work on changing something as big as this. Love hearing how involved Lean Lock and Bryan Tennyson are as well. Super cool.

 

[Jtubb17]

Really good starting points from you guys. Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you

 

[Ludin]

Excited to get the Lean Lock putter in! Been watching all the videos and can't wait to read the book and follow it up with the Master Class lessons. From a putting stand point I am atrocious verse a 10 handicap. As you can see below in with my 2023 stats I didn't have one month even near even with a 10 handicap. The worst part is that majority of that is under 10 feet which can be seen in the second picture. I am really hopeful the putter and corresponding methods can vastly improve my putting. Can't wait to get started reading the book which is hopefully tomorrow.

 

[War Eagle]

Excited to get the Lean Lock putter in! Been watching all the videos and can't wait to read the book and follow it up with the Master Class lessons. From a putting stand point I am atrocious verse a 10 handicap. As you can see below in with my 2023 stats I didn't have one month even near even with a 10 handicap. The worst part is that majority of that is under 10 feet which can be seen in the second picture. I am really hopeful the putter and corresponding methods can vastly improve my putting. Can't wait to get started reading the book which is hopefully tomorrow.

View attachment 9226726
View attachment 9226727

It's awesome to have a baseline of where you are at to start with, to track your progress with a completely different style of putter and see how it works out in the long run. Good stuff!

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

I'm about halfway through Brian's book, and it's very easy to read so far. It's interesting that a LOT of what he says will help you no matter what your putting style is. The first several chapters in the book are full on fundamentals, irrespective of Lean Lock, and already have me thinking very differently about my putting setup and stroke. Very, very cool that even if this putter and method crash and burn for me (which is not what I'm expecting, but just hypothetically), I think I'm going to learn a LOT about putting better regardless of what method I end up with.

Unfortunately, I'm embarking on a business trip today and won't be back til Saturday, so my updates and discussion will be limited to the book and videos until then. However, as I think I mentioned before, Brian stated very clearly in his intro email that he believes you should read the ENTIRE book before you even attempt a putt with the method. So it might actually be a blessing in disguise, as it will force me to focus on the book and the videos for a few days without being tempted to screw around with the putter prematurely.

Got another video from Brian today that I plan to catch up on later today. Not gonna lie, a lot of my golf related time is being spent in the Grandaddy thread right now...

 

[Slowmo]

I'm about halfway through Brian's book, and it's very easy to read so far. It's interesting that a LOT of what he says will help you no matter what your putting style is. The first several chapters in the book are full on fundamentals, irrespective of Lean Lock, and already have me thinking very differently about my putting setup and stroke. Very, very cool that even if this putter and method crash and burn for me (which is not what I'm expecting, but just hypothetically), I think I'm going to learn a LOT about putting better regardless of what method I end up with.

Unfortunately, I'm embarking on a business trip today and won't be back til Saturday, so my updates and discussion will be limited to the book and videos until then. However, as I think I mentioned before, Brian stated very clearly in his intro email that he believes you should read the ENTIRE book before you even attempt a putt with the method. So it might actually be a blessing in disguise, as it will force me to focus on the book and the videos for a few days without being tempted to screw around with the putter prematurely.

Got another video from Brian today that I plan to catch up on later today. Not gonna lie, a lot of my golf related time is being spent in the Grandaddy thread right now...

right there with you. Barely looking at anything except the Grandaddy thread the last few days. Doubt I'll play before the weekend. May cheat and play before I've read all the book

 

[SkiBumGolfer]

right there with you. Barely looking at anything except the Grandaddy thread the last few days. Doubt I'll play before the weekend. May cheat and play before I've read all the book

It's very tempting I admit!!

 

[Slowmo]

It's very tempting I admit!!

did roll probably 30+ putts on the mat last night without reading the book. I know...I'm a rule breaker

 

[Ludin]

I'm about halfway through Brian's book, and it's very easy to read so far. It's interesting that a LOT of what he says will help you no matter what your putting style is. The first several chapters in the book are full on fundamentals, irrespective of Lean Lock, and already have me thinking very differently about my putting setup and stroke. Very, very cool that even if this putter and method crash and burn for me (which is not what I'm expecting, but just hypothetically), I think I'm going to learn a LOT about putting better regardless of what method I end up with.

Unfortunately, I'm embarking on a business trip today and won't be back til Saturday, so my updates and discussion will be limited to the book and videos until then. However, as I think I mentioned before, Brian stated very clearly in his intro email that he believes you should read the ENTIRE book before you even attempt a putt with the method. So it might actually be a blessing in disguise, as it will force me to focus on the book and the videos for a few days without being tempted to screw around with the putter prematurely.

Got another video from Brian today that I plan to catch up on later today. Not gonna lie, a lot of my golf related time is being spent in the Grandaddy thread right now...

Awesome to hear on the book and can't wait to get mine. I haven't watched any videos yet outside of the ones on the site. Trying to hold off until after reading the book. So excited!